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Belgian king to abdicate in favor of crown prince - 0 Comments

BRUSSELS — Weighed down by the years, Belgium's King Albert announced Wednesday that he will hand the throne of his fractious kingdom to his son, Crown Prince Philippe, on the country's national holiday, July 21.

The move had been rumored for weeks and will end nearly two decades of steady reign over a country increasingly torn apart by political strife between northern Dutch-speaking Flanders and French-speaking southern Wallonia.